Lord Rennard 'returned to role with Lib Dems despite sex allegations'

Lord Rennard, the peer at the centre of sex allegations engulfing the Liberal
Democrats, returned to his role training female parliamentary candidates
despite concerns from senior figures in the party about his conduct, it has
been reported.

By Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent

8:55AM GMT 27 Feb 2013

The former Lib Dem chief executive coached prospective MPs at the party’s Brighton conference in September, according to The Times.

Lord Rennard, who has been accused of inappropriately touching a number of women, also addressed a party youth event in October and offered strategic advice during the Corby by-election.

Lord Rennard has strenuously denied all the allegations.

He took on the roles despite a number of senior figures in the party, including Jo Swinson, the women's minister, and Norman Lamb, the health minister, admitting that they had been made aware of the claims made about the peer.

The growing scandal is threatening Nick Clegg’s leadership of the Lib Dems and could derail the party’s campaign in the Eastleigh by-election, called following the resignation of Chris Huhne, the disgraced former minister.

It comes after a female former Liberal Democrat MP piled yet more pressure on Mr Clegg after she said that she had told him about allegations surrounding Lord Rennard shortly after he became leader in 2007.

Mr Clegg has insisted that he heard only "indirect and non-specific concerns" about the Lib Dem peer until last week, when a Channel 4 News investigation alleged that he had behaved improperly towards women in the party on a number of occasions.

But Sandra Gidley, who was MP for Romsey for a decade before losing her seat in 2010, said she hoped her comments would jog the Deputy Prime Minister's memory about their conversation.

Asked by The Telegraph whether she told Mr Clegg "face-to-face" about the allegations, she replied: "Yes, that is true, but at this point I don't want to go any further. I am hoping his memory might be jogged. Shall we leave it at that?"

Ms Gidley later claimed that she did not have precise details of alleged incidents when she approached the Lib Dem leader.

In a statement issued by the party, she said: "I spoke to Nick Clegg about general concerns. I didn't know of any specific incidents and neither did he."

A spokesman for Mr Clegg said: "Sandra Gidley once raised general concerns with Nick Clegg about Lord Rennard's conduct. She did not know of or raise specific allegations. As Nick Clegg has said, he was aware of general concerns which were acted upon by his then chief of staff, Danny Alexander."

It has also been alleged that a senior Lib Dem peer, Lord Stoneham, attempted to gag a woman who claimed to have witnessed inappropriate acts by Lord Rennard.

Lord Stoneham is facing an internal inquiry after contacting one of the complainants earlier this week.

Tim Farron, the Lib Dem president, described the intervention as “wholly unacceptable”.

The issue is believed to have been raised with the Chief Whip in the House of Lords who spoke to Lord Stoneham on Tuesday afternoon.

The Daily Mail reported that a complaint was made to Lord Stoneham about Lord Rennard’s behaviour by a woman in 2003.

Lord Rennard, who stepped down as chief executive on health grounds in 2009, has said he is ready to "co-operate with any properly-constituted inquiry" into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

The peer issued a strenuous fresh denial of any wrong-doing as senior Liberal Democrats met Metropolitan Police officers to discuss the case.

Scotland Yard said the meeting was held to help ascertain whether any criminal activity had taken place, adding: "That work continues."

Mr Clegg was visibly rattled yesterday and lashed out at the “self-appointed detectives” in the media exposing details about the complaints made about Lord Rennard.